Achieving success in a company the size of The Walt Disney Company, being the head that materializes the dreams of adults and children can be, for many, the happiest job in the world; but this is not just fun. This work also includes responding to the demands of the shareholders’ meeting, preparing exhaustive results reports, and supervising every small step that the company takes in all its divisions.
As the sixth CEO of the company founded by Walt Disney in 1923, Robert Allen (Bob) Iger has been, between 2005 and 2020, responsible for the acquisition and integration of companies such as Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Fox; He was part of the planning and construction of Disneyland Shanghai, one of the largest investments in the company’s history, and managed to raise the company’s total revenue from $ 48.7 billion to $ 257 billion in just 13 years.
As a culmination of his successful tenure at Disney’s highest position and with the experience of his more than 45 years working for them, Iger published a book with his memoirs entitled “The Journey of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned in 15 Years as CEO of The Walt Disney Company.” Within that book, Iger expresses what for him are the principles that an authentic leader should have and below we will mention seven of them:
Contents
The Focus and the Decision to Achieve Goals
For Iger, it is important to dedicate time and energy to the activities of greatest relevance to the company in a proportionate manner, and to achieve this it is also a requirement to know how to communicate these priorities to the team so that they can also focus on these tasks. On the other hand, the decisions of the company cannot be given many lengths, nor should they be taken in a short time, it has to be in a period where the leader makes sure to value the diverse opinions of the team.
Optimism and Sincerity to guide the work team
A true leader cannot lead from pessimism, he must be optimistic in order to transmit to his entire team the motivation and energy necessary to face the challenges and tasks that must be fulfilled to achieve the desired objective. Also, you should not lie, much less pretend. Your team must be frank enough to admit a mistake when it is made. According to Iger himself “the lies are the problem, not the mistakes.”
Weigh risks and handle situations with integrity
In the words of Iger himself “you must do your homework.” This implies that whenever a leader is going to make a decision or issue an opinion, this must be based on an in-depth study of the situation, be well informed before taking any step, ensure that there will be a good rate of success, but without stop considering the risks. A good leader must always lead by example. The success of the company comes from the ethical and moral quality of all its personnel, with the CEO being the first to fulfill this promise.
Curiosity as a starting point
The dream of every leader, as the captain of a ship, is to see his project, his ideas materialize; that is, bring them to fruition. However, navigating the waters towards success is not an easy task, it requires a lot of sacrifices and above all, work and dedication. But also for this, it is necessary that spirit of adventure and understanding that the mother of all innovation is curiosity. Having developed this principle will allow you to find new ideas or people who will help you grow and improve the company.
Do you have any opinion on this topic? Do you know another principle for Bob Iger’s success? Which one would you put into practice first?
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Image by Goumbik via Pixabay.com under Creative Commons license.
